Epilogue: Wonderful
by Spellman
Summary: Part of the RHr 100 Theme Fanfics Challenge.  An epilogue for Deathly Hallows written for a contest, explaining what had happened to our beloved characters.  Written before DH, so no spoilers.  K for safety.


Everything halted. Time seemed not to exist. Silence emanated the field….

_Voldemort was dead._

His lifeless form fell to its knees and slumped over onto the blood-strewn ground. Harry stood a few short paces away, wand still held out to where the Dark Lord had last been.

No one dared to move. They couldn't. But something snapped inside one person.

"NO!" screeched Bellatrix, outraged. In an instant she pushed through the still shocked wizards around her and held her wand directly aimed at Harry. He didn't even have time to turn.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Bellatrix stopped short and fell to the ground bleeding. Snape stood behind her with a cold look of satisfaction on his face. His eyes moved from Bellatrix to catch Harry's surprised gaze. He inclined his head less than an inch, and Harry knew exactly what he meant. He had redeemed himself in this fight.

"Avada Kedavra!" snarled Bellatrix from where she lay. Snape held no look of shock as the piercing green light struck him and drained him of life. He slumped over with a more peaceful expression on his face than he had ever shown in life. Bellatrix smirked smugly and, finally, her life was sapped from her as well.

It had all happened in a matter of seconds. The initial shock finally passed and then pandemonium swept the battlefield.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up dazed, trying to shake the nightmarish reverie from his head. He smiled a second too late, alerting Ginny to what he had been thinking. She sighed and sat across his legs.

"You have to stop thinking of that day," she said, knowing he couldn't be thinking of anything else. "If anything, you should be happy." Her smile faded a bit at the next part. "We had very few losses. And we saved those still here from the evil in this world. _You_ saved us from Voldemort." Her smile returned at the last part. Harry couldn't really help but smile back.

"Well come on," Ginny finally said, getting up and tugging on his hand to make him get up. "We're going to be late. And Ron will kill us." She took a step back and looked him over. "Doesn't your hair ever lie straight?"

Harry laughed. "I don't think so." Ginny grinned and started fixing creases in his suit jacket before he finally rolled his eyes. "Come on, Ron will kill us if we're late," he reminded and walked downstairs behind Ginny. They didn't have to go far.

Outside the Burrow, the flowers were blooming. It was a perfect spring afternoon. Everything was green and fresh. Life was restarting for everyone and everything.

Ginny looked across the backyard and winked at Harry before disappearing back into the house. Harry smirked and strode forward to stand next to Ron.

"Finally," he muttered, laughter in his voice.

"Oh shut up, that's all I've been hearing for the past month," Ron muttered, but he looked pleased.

The orchestra, a set of enchanted musical instruments, courtesy of an aging Professor Flitwick, had finished warming up and began to play Pachelbel's Canon in D. Their beautiful playing was interrupted abruptly by a loud foghorn sound in the back. A few heads turned as Hagrid blew his nose into a handkerchief. Professor McGonagall scooted her chair a few inches further away, shaking her head. Harry suppressed the urge to laugh out loud.

Mrs. Weasley bustled out the back door, looking very anxious and excited as she sat next to Mr. Weasley in the front row. Charlie and Bill sat on her other side, each holding a pack of tissues for their mother and having an expression of restrained laughter as well. Fred and George stood on the other side of Harry, smirking themselves. Even Percy was there, although sitting near the back with some of the more distant relatives. He had been forgiven once he realized that Harry and his family had been right, grudgingly admitting this when he did return. Mrs. Weasley had hugged him and then began to scold him before hugging him again.

Harry scanned the crowd a bit more and caught sight of many other friends from school. He caught eyes with Remus, who gave him a smile before turning to look back at Tonks, who wore a shocking purple dress that matched her hair perfectly. Or maybe it was the other way around. Harry's gaze finally finished its sweep, ending with Dobby, who looked as if he had mismatched his attire even more for the occasion. Dobby waved enthusiastically at him and Harry gave him a small wave back.

The orchestra swelled in volume as the back door opened. Ron shifted a bit nervously. Out walked a very cute little girl with a basket of flower petals. Following her were Fleur, who looked a bit upset for not being the maid of honor, Luna, who had worn her radish earrings, claiming they matched her dress, and Ginny. Harry's breath caught slightly in spite of himself, even if he had seen her just moments ago. He was suddenly conscious of the little black box that was hidden upstairs. But then the orchestra interrupted his thoughts as it swelled and effortlessly changed its melody. Ron gulped audibly and now _his_ breath caught.

Hermione stepped carefully down the aisle next to her father. She looked a little nervous too but smiled. Ron smiled back, and they only had eyes for each other.

Harry smiled as well, thinking today was one of the best he'd had in a while. No. Ever. He glanced over at Ginny, catching that she had been looking at him too, and grinned. She grinned back and turned her attention to the beautiful bride. Harry smiled to himself, knowing now that everything was going to be okay. No. Wonderful. Everything was going to be wonderful.

AN: This didn't really fit anywhere in particular, so I decided to keep it as a writer's choice. It has a Ron/Hermione moment, but it is from Harry's point of view because this was an epilogue I wrote before DH came out. So all this was thought up by me before I found out what really happened, hence all the dead characters being alive. Makes me sad. But my friends and family have told me that they like this epilogue better than the real one because it's more personal, so I hope you liked it too. Please review!


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